Apparatus for marking tags



April 17, 1951 A. K. MARSH 2,549,107

.APPARATUS FOR MARKING TAGS Filed July 15, 194e 4 2 sheets-sheet 1 @w w ww mv MM w QM. In QN nl, HHM gm. N. o Q, wm e Jjfff ,NN w m RN Sw @S MN NW QM. NN. l/,

April 17, 1951 A. K. MARSH APPARATUS FOR MARKING TAGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 13, 1946 Patented Apr. 17, 1951 APPARATUS FOR MARKING TAGS Alonzo K.V Marsh, Ridgewood, N. J., assignor to A. Kimball Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 13, 1946, Serial No. 683,358

claims. 1

This invention relates to machines for printing tags such as those used for marking prices, lot numbers, and other information on merchandise in stores. More particularly the invention is concerned with the apparatus for inking the type used for marking, and with correlation of the ink-ing operation and the cycle of operation of the printing head and other parts of the machine,

Tags connected together` in strips are supplied to marking machines and fed automatically by the machine to bring the individual tags successively into printing position under a printing head that holds a chase having type for printing the desired information on the tags.

It is an object of this invention to provide a tag marking machine with improvedapparatus for inking the type carried by the chase of a printing head located in compact relation to a printing platen across which tags are fed. With this invention the machine is ready for operation at any time, even after prolonged periods of nonuse, without the delay and inconvenience of reinking pads or rollers, and without having a run of poorly printed tags such as sometimes follows the application of fresh ink to printing equipment.

In its preferred embodiment this invention comprises a printing head movable toward and from the platen, and an inking roller that moves across the face of the type on the printing head for transferring ink to the type from an ink supply roller which regulates the supply of ink and prevents the ink from drying out. Y

Other objects, features and advantages `of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the description proceeds.

In the drawing forming a part hereof in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views,

Figure 1 lis a `perspective View of the back of a tag marking machine embodying this invention,

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic, fragmentary, perspective View of the inking and printing mechanism at the front of the machine shown inFigure l,

Figure 3 is a front View of the inking and printing mechanism of Figure 2, with parts shown in dotted line positions to illustrate the mode of operation of the machine,

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the way in which the ink supply roller is wrapped with ribbon to provide it with its fabric laminations,

' Figure 5 is a sectional View of the inking roller.

The marking machine includes a frame l B ,and a main drive shaft I l supported by pedestal bearings I4 and I5 extending upward from the frame,` The main drive shaft II is rotated by a lbevel gear I'l which meshes with another gear i8 on a short shaft I9 that turns in a pedestal bearing 20. A ywhecl 2l, secured to the short shaft I9, is rotated by a handle 22.

There are cams 26, El and 2B on the main drive shaft il for operating the different movements of the marking machine. For purposes of this invention it is sufficient to understand that the cam 26 operates mechanism for feeding the tags; that the cam 2l operates a sliding carriage and controls the motion of the inking roller, in a manner which will be explained; and that the cam 28 moves a printing head toward and from a platen over which the tags are fed.

The printing head 3d is secured to the forward end of a lever `3| which is connected to a support 33 by a shaft 34. The lever 3l and printing Vhead 3l) are held in a raised position by a ,spring 35 anchored on the support 33. A cam follower in the form of a U-,shaped strap 38 is attached at its upper ends to the lever 3| and extends under the cam 23 in position to be depressed by the cam as the high portion of the cam v rotates into its lowermost position.

The printing head 30 is located out in front of a panel 4D which extends upward from the frame l0 and comprises a part of the frame of the machine. An ink supply roller 42 is also located out in front of the panel 40 and is supported by a shaft 43 extending through an opening in the panel 40 and through a bearing 44 attached to the back of the panel.`

yA bevel gear 45 on the inner end portion of the shaft 43 meshes with a bevel gear 46 driven by a spur gear 48. This spur gear 43 is rotated by a large driving gear 49 secured to the main drive shaft Il of the machine. Thus the ink supply roller 42 is rotated continuously during the operation of the machine, and at a speed substantially faster than the speed of rotation of the main drive shaft l l.

The tags to be printed are placed on a guide 52 supported in front of the panel 40, and the portion of the guide 52 under the printing head VSi) serves as the platen for supporting the tags while they are being printed.

Figures 2 and 3 show the front of the printing head 3? and the ink supply roller 42. The printing head includes a chase 53 held in guides 54 and moved in and out by a handle 55 when the type is to be changed. When the printing `head 30 is in its raised position, as shown in Figure 3, the type 5l is in position to be contacted by an inking roller 53 which moves back and forth in .the directions indicated by the arrow `59. This in king roller 58 is supported on a stud 6| extending forward from a carriage 6,3 that slides in a bearing slot B4 on the panel All. Two tags 55 are 4`shown on the guide .52.

Mechanism for moving the carriage 63 back and forward is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2. A link 66, connected at one end to the carriage 63, is connected at its other end with an operating lever 68. The rearward end of the operating lever 68 is supported by a vertical pivot bearing 69 extending upward from' the frame HL A cam follower 1l is attached to the operating lever 68 in position to extend into a slot 12 of the cam 21. In Figure 2 the cam follower 1l is shown in an exaggerated position for clearer illustration. Actually this cam follower 1l is located under the axis of the main drive shaft I l. As the cam 21 rotates, the cam slot 12 causes the cam follower 1I to move and oscillate the operating lever 68 so that the carriage 63 reciprocates back and forth in accordance with a cycle determined by the shape of the cam slot 12. One revolution of the main drive shaft ll corresponds to a complete cycle of operation of the marking machine.

The ink supply'roller 42 includes a center hub portion 15 (Fig. 5) securely attached to the kshaft 43. This center hub portion 15 is surrounded by layers of fabric 16 impregnated with ink. Fabric similar to that commonlyrused for typewriter ribbons is suitable for the purpose. The fabric 18 may be made up of separate laminations, but is preferably made by wrapping a fabric ribbon around the hub 15, as shown in Fig. 4, so that the continuous convolutions of the spiral form the laminations or layers of the ink supply roller. The outer end of the fabric ribbon is attached to the underlyingfabric by stitching or adhesive to prevent the spiral from unwinding. The laminations are held against endwise displacement by flanges 18 and 19 (Fig. 5) at opposite ends of the hub 15. The flange 19 is connected to the hub 15 by a screw 8| which can be removed to detach the flange 19 when a new fabric spiral 16 is to be placed on the hub 15.

The diameters of the flanges 18 and 19 are somewhat less than. the diameter of the ribbon spiral 18 so that the outer convolutions of the ribbon are located beyond the peripheral edges of the flanges 11S and 19. This is important in order to take advantage of the resilience of the inking pad provided by the spiral ribbon 16.

The distance between the confronting inside faces of the flanges 18 and 19 is substantially equal to the width of the fabric ribbon 16 so that there is little or no space between the anges and the edges of the ribbon for circulation of air which would tend to try out the ink with which the ribbon is impregnated.

At the beginning of the operation of the inking roller 58, the roller occupies a rest position shown in dotted lines and indicated by the reference character 58 in Fig. 3. When the carriage 63 is operated Yby the cam mechanism already described, the carriage 63 rst moves the inking` roller 58 into firm contact with the ink supply roller 42. The inking roller B is shown in this position in Fig. 3, and it is a feature of the invention that the inking roller 58 presses the convolutions of the spiral ribbon into contact with one another so that ink from the inner convolutions, which are protected from the air, squeezes into the interstices of the outer convolutions from which ink has been removed either by evaporation or by the action of the inking roller 58 against the surface of the ink supply roller 42 The cam which operates the carriage 63 is de- Y signed so that the inking roller 58 is held in firm contact with the ink supply roller 42 for a sub= stantial part of a revolution of the ink supply roller. The inking roller-58, which is preferably made of rubber, turns freely as an idler on the stud 6i while in contact with the ink supply roller 42. The period of contact of the inking roller l58 with the ink supply roller 42 is sufcient to permit the inking roller 58 to make at least one complete revolution. Fresh ink is thus supplied to the entire periphery of the inkingroller during each cycle of operation.

As the machine continues to operate the carriage 63 slides toward the right in Figure 3 and causes the inking roller 58 to roll across the face of the type 51. toward the left and the inking roller 58 is shifted into its position 58 before the printing head 3l) comes downward against a tag 65 located on the platen portion of the guide 52. As the printing head 38 returns to its raised position, after each printing operation, the strip of tags is fed forward to bring a new tag into printing position andthe cycle of operation is repeated.

After printing the desired number of tags, the machine can be left Vidle for extended periods, and even though the ink in the outer convolutions on the ink supply roller 42. may dry out from contact with the air, fresh ink is squeezed into the outer convolution of the fabric by the action of the roller 58, as previously described, and the machine is, therefore, always ready for use.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, but terms of orientation are relative,vand various changes and modifications can be made without departingI from the invention as dened in the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a tag marking machine of the type having a printing head that moves into and out of contact with successive tags, and mechanism for moving the printing head in accordance with a predetermined time cycle, the combination with said printing head of an ink supply roller having a hub portion supported by a shaft, flanges at opposite ends of' said hub portion and one of which is detachably connected to the hub portion, driving means for rotating the shaft, an ink-impregnated fabric ribbon Wrapped around the hub portion as a spiral with a plurality of convolutions and a diameter sufficient to locate at least some of the outer convolutions beyond the peripheral edges of the anges, said ribbon constituting the sole ink holder of said ink supply roller, and said ribbon having a width substantially equal to the distance between the inner confronting faces of the flanges so that the inner convolutions of the ribbon are protected from direct contact with the surrounding atmosphere, an inking roller, a carriage by which the inking roller is supported, va guide bearing defining a course along which the carriage moves, said guide bearing extending substantially parallel to the face of the printing head and at a fixed distance from the axis of the ink supply roller, and reciprocating mechanism that moves the carriage back and forth along the guide bearing.

2. In a tag marking machine of the class wherein a printingI head carrying type on its face moves toward and from successive tags for marking indicia on said tags, the combination with said printing head of an ink supply roller covered with a plurality of lamination of ink-impregnated fabric, mechanism for rotating the ink supply roller during operation of the ma- The carriage 63 then moves back chine, an inking roller, a carriage by which the inking roller is supported, a guide bearing on which the carriage moves along a course that carries the inking roller across the face of the type at one end of the carriage stroke and into contact with the supply rollel toward the other end of the carriage stroke, and mechanism operated by the machine for moving the inking roller back and forth along the guide bearing and into Contact with the outer lamination of the fabric of the ink supply roller, said mechanism including apparatus for holding the inking roller against the ink supply roller with sufficient force to squeeze the laminations into intimate contact while the ink supply roller rotates through a peripheral distance at least as great as the circumference of the inking roller.

3. In a tag printing machine, a carriage, a guide bearing along which the carriage is movable on a definite course, mechanism for reciprocating the carriage on said bearing and through a complete stroke for each cycle of operation of the machine, a printing head, cam means operated by the shaft for moving the printing head and carriage in timed relation with one another, an ink supply roller comprising radially superimposed layers of ink-impregnated fabric, mechanism that rotates the ink supply roller, an inking roller supported by the carriage in a fixed relation to the carriage and located in positions to alternately roll across the type of the printing head and into contact with the supply roller, said cam means imparting to the carriage a somewhat greater stroke along the guide bearing than is necessary to bring the inking roller into contact with the ink supply roller so that the layers of fabric of the ink supply roller are squeezed together by the movement of the carriage along the guide bearing at one end of the carriage stroke.

4. In a tag marking machine of the class wherein a printing head is moved toward and from a platen to bring type on the face of the printing head into contact with successive tags moved into position on the platen, and there is mechanism for moving the printing head, the combination with the printing head and the mechanism for moving it, of an inking roller that rolls across the face of the type when the head is away from the platen, means located at a distance from the printing head for supplying ink to the inking roller, said means comprising a hub, a ribbon of ink-impregnated fabric wrapped around the hub with a multitude of convolutions that comprise the sole ink supply means for the inking roller, flanges on the inking roller of smaller diameter than the outside convolutions of the ink-impregnated fabric, said flanges being located at opposite sides of the ink-impregnated fabric to protect the inner convolutions of the ribbon from drying, mechanism that rotates the hub, flanges and ribbon as a unit, a guide bearing extending along a fixed course, a carriage that supports the inking roller and that is movable along the guide bearing, said guide bearing being so located with respect to the printing head and ink supply roller that the inking roller rolls across the face of the type toward one end of its stroke and abuts against the outer convolutions of the fabric before reaching the other end of its stroke as the carriage moves back and forth along the guide bearing so that the movement of the carriage and inking roller at one end of the stroke squeeze convolutions of the fabric into intimate contact with one another and transfer ink from the inner convolutions to the interstices of the outer convolutons from which ink has been removed by contact with the inking roller.

5. In a tag marking machine of the class wherein a printing head moves toward and from tags that are to be marked, the combination with said printing head of an inking roller, a guide bearing, a carriage that reciprocates through a predetermined stroke in a fixed path along the guide bearing, said guide bearing extending in a direction to guide the carriage and move the inking roller across the face of type carried by the printing head, an ink supply roller comprising a plurality of radially superimposed fabric laminations, the peripheral portion of said ink supply` roller extending for a substantial distance into the path of the inking roller so that the inking roller deforms the ink supply roller by pressing the fabric laminations together each time that the inking roller approaches one end of its stroke, and mechanism that rotates the ink supply roller.

ALONZO K. MARSH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 174,375 Messer Mar. 7, 1876 544,645 Rolfe Aug. 13, 1895 1,523,512 Buckley Jan. 20, 1925 1,760,370 Morris May 27. 1930 

